Bharat Kala Bhavan Museum
No one interested in Indian art should miss this museum on the campus of Banaras Hindu University. The permanent collection includes brocade textiles, excellent Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, and miniature paintings from the courts of the Mughals and the Hindu princes of the Punjab hills. One sculpture with particular power is a 4th-century Gupta-dynasty frieze depicting Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu) holding up Mt. Govardhan to protect his pastoral comrades from the rain. Have your car or rickshaw wait for you, as transportation can be hard to find on the university's sprawling campus. It's a good idea to go with a guide, since the upkeep of the museum is a bit haphazard and you might need someone who knows his way around and can turn the lights on. The museum opens from 7 am to 1 pm in June and July, and from 10:30 am to 4 pm the rest of the year.
